8 January 2013 - THIP SRIYANANDA - GUEST ILLUSTRATOR

Today I am pleased to welcome a very talented young woman who has lived in interesting places - Thip Sriyananda. So, tell us more, Thip ...

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND
YOUR ILLUSTRATING JOURNEY.

I was born in Moscow, Russia in 1989 to
diplomatic parents. I moved around a lot growing up. Every four years my family
and I had to move between Thailand and other countries, thus I got to learn how
to speak English since the 1st grade when I moved to Budapest,
Hungary and attended American International School of Budapest (AISB). I
remembered that the four years of my elementary school life there was one of the
happiest moments of my life. I remembered that before moving to Hungary, I
attended the first semester of 1st grade in this prestigious Thai
school where the educational system was extremely traditional and strict. I
felt that I had to do everything under the rules and didn’t understand why the
teachers had to be so strict. I could still recall the uniforms we had to wear,
and how the classroom lacked of colorful decorations. Everything was dull. I
wasn’t happy. But when I got to study in AISB, my new classroom was full of
colorful wallpapers and cute paper cut-outs, and most importantly I get to meet
my wonderful teachers and make friends with kids from so many countries. The
teachers there would always encourage us to be ourselves and to think outside of
the box. I think those were the times where I first really got to be myself. I
did well in most of my classes, but art class was probably one of the few
classes I always looked forward to.

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WERE YOU GOOD AT DRAWING AS A KID?

Since
little, I always knew that drawing is probably the only thing I am actually
good at. As far as I could remember, I
would sit and draw on A4 papers or sketchbooks for days. I just couldn’t stop
drawing! I loved drawing girls in pretty clothes. Barbie was probably my first
model. I also loved to look at pretty, fashionable girls in fashion magazines,
and if I see anyone that catches my eye, I would draw them. My friends liked to
ask me to help them draw stuff as well. I was known as the art kid. The best
drawer in class. As a kid I didn’t know what I could do with drawing in the
future, but I felt that it is something I want to pursue growing up and that it
is my true passion.

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME AN
ILLUSTRATOR?

I
took art class throughout elementary school and middle school, but when I
entered high school at American Embassy School of New Delhi (AES), it was that
time when students have to start thinking what university they want to go to,
what their major would be, etc. I knew right away that I want to pursue art and
study in an art college. Most of my friends took the IB Diploma program during
high school, but I decided to only do an IB Certificate in art. So from 11th
grade to 12th grade, I
studied IB Art. It was my first serious art course, where my teacher and the content
of the program itself prepare students to get ready to apply for art colleges,
especially in the United States and in Europe. During my two years studying in
IB Art, every student has to keep their own art workbook where they can record
and research about their favorite artists, art movements, or anything that
inspires them. The art workbook is also the place where students document their
process and developments of projects. I truly enjoyed working in my art
workbooks because I could research and write about any artists I like or
practice my styles of drawing and painting. From that class, I developed my
research and analytical skills and who I am as an artist. I was always either
interested in pop culture, pop art, poster and propaganda art, or Japanese
woodblock prints.

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However,
the IB Art class was leaning towards to more of a fine art approach. Students
could paint or draw whatever they want, with whatever mediums. It was about
expressing our feelings and thoughts as an artist. After I graduated from AES,
while most of my fellow art friends wanted to go to art colleges in the U.S., I
wanted to come back to Thailand to study in Silpakorn University, which is the
only prestigious art university in the country. I got into Silpakorn University
International College (SUIC), which is the only international program that
teaches art and design. I majored in Multimedia Design, where the course
introduces you to everything related to art and design, from illustration,
photography, animation, interactive design, web design, to typography and many
more. This course teaches you to work and think like a designer. At first I
didn’t quite understand the difference between being an artist and a designer.
Initially, I struggled a bit when working on my illustrations, because I think
as an artist more than a designer, thus the message from my work wasn’t very
effective to my audience. From this course, I learnt that to be an illustrator,
you have to know who your clients and audiences are, and what ‘message’ you need
to get across. I learnt that the ‘communication’ to the target audience is very
important. Every color or style used has to have reasons behind it. For my
final thesis, I produced a poster series and other promotional prints for the
The 31st Annual John Lennon Concert Tribute, where I combined my own
drawings with other media such as photographs.

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After
I graduated from SUIC, I continued my Master’s Degree in Visual Communication
at Birmingham City University, UK, where I majored in Editorial Illustration.
From this course, I got to further understand the world of illustration, and
trained myself to become an effective illustrator.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING AN
ILLUSTRATOR?

What
I enjoy most is that I get to discover so many talented illustrators out there.
To see their level of talent really excites me and motivates me to become
better. And of course, what I also enjoy is to sit and draw.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING
AN ILLUSTRATOR?

I
guess having everyone to appreciate your work. Some people don’t understand or
get what illustration is about. It’s just that all illustrators put a lot of
time and effort into their work. I don’t expect everyone to like my work, but
to me appreciation is important. Also, I just finished my Master’s Degree, so
at this stage I’m still trying to get my work known to the public.

DO YOU WORK FOR YOURSELF, OTHERS OR
BOTH?

I
would like to start working for real clients!

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WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

My
greatest achievement so far would have been making my parents proud by
completing all my degrees of studies, and also as part of my final project for
my MA Visual Communication course, I designed and work on the whole content of
my first published book, ‘Understanding Editorial Illustration: The Guide for
Illustrators’, which introduces readers to editorial illustration and other
important skills required to become an effective illustrator.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?

A
series of drawings on female pop idols

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEDIUM?

I
prefer using pencils and black pens and markers. I like to draw by hand more
than using programs like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. But I do use
those programs to do some editing and adjusting to my work.

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WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

I
always go on Tumblr or Pinterest to look at other illustrator’s artworks. I
like to look at photography work as well. If I come across any pictures I
really like, then I would save them onto my computer. My other inspirations
would also be street art/ graffiti art and song lyrics. There are a lot of
interesting street art here in the UK, so if I were walking down the streets
and spot a cool graffiti work, I would quickly take a picture of it. As for
song lyrics, music has always been a big part of my life. I view song lyrics as
my inspirational quotes, as something that I could relate to. I think music is
what feelings would sound like. Also, at the moment I’m really into tattoo
designs.

WHAT DO YOU PREFER TO ILLUSTRATE?

I
like to draw portraits of celebrities, especially singers and musicians. I have
always been into popular culture, and I guess I like to portray these artists
in an iconic way. However, I still love to draw portraits of women more than
men. I love drawing their hair, eyes, and lips. Women are elegant and mysterious
creatures, and to me there’s a lot I can play with in my drawings. I would love
to create gigs and concert posters as well.

DO YOU SUFFER FROM ILLUSTRATOR’S BLOCK?

Actually,
yes…a lot of times. When I start an illustration I have to feel into it, or I
have to feel that I want to do it, or else I would feel that I have to force
myself to work on it. So if I’m not in the mood, sometimes I would start
doodling or sketching random things in my notebook to bring the feeling of
wanting to draw back.

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DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE PLACE TO
ILLUSTRATE?

I
like to work on my illustrations in my bedroom or living room with music
playing from my laptop. I always play music when I work. It relaxes me. Getting
to work in an art studio in my university is also a great feeling. I’m always
happy to be able to catch the faint smell of paint and see other art materials
and artworks from other students.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN YOUR WORK?

The
feeling of satisfaction when my work is completely finished, and that other
people like my work too.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE ILLUSTRATOR AND
WHY?

I
really like the work of Yuko Shimizu, Mr Frivolous, Morning Breath, and Tyler
Stout. I like Yuko Shimizu’s work because it involves mixing traditional
Japanese woodblock/manga art with contemporary style, and for the other three
artists their work has a lot of the styles of street art/graffiti art, and I’m
always attracted to that style of drawings.

WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER
RECEIVED?

The
best compliment I ever received was from one of my teachers from the MA Visual
Communication course. His name is John Barrett and is also an
artist/illustrator. He was the tutor particularly for illustrations students.
He told me that he knew I would get good grades for my final projects as I have
a lot of ability. He also wished me good luck in becoming successful in my
career. He was a really great teacher to all illustration students, and so it
meant a lot to me when he said that.

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WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT YOU EVER
RECEIVED?

I
never really had the worst comment, but I felt bad everytime when I put a lot
of effort and time into my work, and got a bad score.

OTHER THAN DRAWING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU
LOVE?

I
love listening to music and discovering new bands. I normally listen to music
all day long. If some days I didn’t listen to music, I would feel like there’s
something missing. My favorite style of music is indie/alternative and music
from the 60’s and 70’s like The Beatles and ABBA. Other than music, if I have
some free time, I like reading books, and traveling to new places.

DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.

Being
at home all day, listen to my favorite music, read some magazines and books, or
watch my favorite tv show. I just like to spend a lot of time at home.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

I
hope to start my career as a freelance illustrator soon, and it would be great
if I can work for magazines under the art team.

ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

“Art
is anything you can get away with” – Andy Warhol

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Clancy's comment: Well done, Thip! I'm envious of your abilities. Hook up with some of the other sensational illustrators I've had on my blog and you'll be laughing. Good luck!